Progressive coalition announces new campaign to end Iraq war

A coalition of progressive organizations held a conference call today to announce the launching of a new $20 million campaign to end the war in Iraq and inform the public about the connection between government spending in Iraq and the dwindling economy. Former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth are lending the campaign their names and support. The organizations included in this campaign are MoveOn.org, Center for American Progress, VoteVets.org, Americans United for Change, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which collectively includes 6 million members.

Eli Pariser of MoveOn.org told listeners that the campaign will be aimed at reminding Congress about the “crushing” consequences of Bush’s “failed” strategy in Iraq, into which the U.S. has already invested $500 billion. He said the MoveOn.org will contribute $5 million into the campaign to pressure Congress to end the war and blamed Republicans for acting to block Democrats’ efforts to do so.

John Edwards said that he witnessed a lot of “anger” and “angst” toward the state of the economy and the war in Iraq during his travels across the country while campaigning for president. He said that people don’t understand why the government is spending $500 billion in Iraq when over 40 million Americans are living without health care and 37 million are in poverty. He also stressed the importance of understanding the connection between the war in Iraq and the price of gas, the “broken” health care system, high college tuition, and mortgage foreclosures. Elizabeth Edwards took the phone from her husband to reiterate his message and told listeners that she sometimes becomes “depressed” because of the lack of media attention these issues receive.